It might be time for to replace my 02 WRX.

I'm looking at 2006 BMW 330CI with 55+K miles and a 2008 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro with 68K+ miles.

This will be my first German car. I've always owned Japanese cars before.

I need some input from owners or former owners.

Thanks.
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Buy an Acura :-)
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Get a Merc....I've always been told not to buy a used Audi unless you've got the $ to fix it out of warranty. I'm not a bimmer fan so I won't comment.
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I have owned a number of cars and currently own a BMW 525...This is the easiest car I have ever worked on..love it..and if you buy parts online they are not that bad price wise. I would stay away from Audi...My neighbor had an A4 and it sucked getting to anything in the engine compartment..he was always having problems with it....
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buying a used german car is never........................EVER a good idea. I've got a friend who is a service writer for bmw, he's said time and time again that the newer bmw's are only to be leased. 3 years and out on them. Buy a quality car, not a badge
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I bought a BMW (02 330i w/ 45k) a couple years back. Hassle free and easily the best car I've ever owned. I vote BMW... :-)
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Between the 330 and A4, I'd go with the 330.

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I agree with Pete!:-):-)
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I love both brands, since I drive an RS4 and my wife drives an X5. The X5 is pretty easy to work on. The Audi is a lot harder (Could be since it's an RS4). Audi has the over engineering of Porsche, but with VW parts. Both cars are pretty reliable. The 2.0T is very tunable, but it is a 4 cyl. turbo. If you do get this, I recoomend getting the APR software onit (+35whp). The 330 is an inline 6, which I have always loved and is very solid! Both cars are great cars, but very different from each other. If you live in a winter climate, no doubt go with the quattro. If not, then a RWD makes more sense. I would just recommend that you drive each one, and see which one you like the most.
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Currently own a BMW (E46) M3. Prior to that I had a Audi (B6) S4 (both bought when new). The Audi had a much better interior finish than the BMW but the BMW was much faster :-).
Both cars are expensive to repair if out of warranty. My personal opinion is was that the S4 was more of a luxury car that went fast. The M3 was a fast car that they tried to make daily driving possible. Either way they are both very nice cars and I was happy with both of them. Although I dont drive the M3 anymore (looking to sell it), I liked it a tad better then the S4.
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I have had 4 BMWs, (all used, bought smart, and in good service history and condition) and loved everyone of them.
Having been a service writer for over a decade for other marques, I can attest to the reliability, serviceability, performance, and build quality of them. I personally would stay away from 7 series, in conversations with my go to shop, but I don't think I have been merely "lucky" with repair history and general experience of ownership. Parts availability is good to excellent from non OEM suppliers (getting OEM parts, even), and found the few things I have had to repair straightforward and relatively well laid out, engineered, designed, and quite serviceable. Those items I haven't done or wanted to get into considering the climate I live in, have been taken care of by an affordable, well trained former BMW technician.


I have found the naysayers have never owned one. Take that grain of salt for what it is worth.
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This
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My vote

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I love my 98 M Roadster.
Bought it 7 years ago and have never had a problem other than a leaky A/C.
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We have a 2005 A4 and it does great in the winter. We have over 100k miles on the car and she still runs great.
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Good comments so far. I would stay away from a used Audi and that's coming from a British and Italian car owner...

You have to drive both and consider whether quattro is really worth the wear and tear. BMW is more for "the driver".

Which one has a cooler color combo?
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I re-read it and noticed you are a fellow WRX driver.

Why such a departure from the WRX to either of the two you mentioned?
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....you know, I hear comments like this all the time and I disagree. Having owned several German cars over the years, I think I can offer some perspective. My current daily driver is a VW Jetta TDI with 130K on it (love the 45+ MPG), and the wife's car is a BMW X3 with 50K on it. Both our cars have been completely reliable and great to drive.

German cars don't just need proper service, they seem to require it. The reward is an extremely reliable platform that is a blast to drive. All I'm talking about here is the factory recommended maintenance. The other point is to find a shop that really knows these cars well. I have a guy where I live that's a complete TDI diesel head; he drives one, and knows these cars inside and out. He is better than the dealer locally for these cars, and he gets all my work. The wife takes her BeeEmm to the dealer locally because they have an excellent reputation for doing quality service, for the last 25 years or so.

Moral of the story is that a new or properly maintained German car can be a solid investment, but I wouldn't touch a used one that didn't come with up to date service records, performed by a shop that knows what they are doing.

FWIW - N.F.H.
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I had an '02 WRX (wagon) too.
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So are you saying a BMW is not a quality car?
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